Head of a pugilist (NAMA 6439)

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Head of a pugilist

The head of a fist fighter is the residue of a classic winner statue , the v 330 century. Is dated. It was found during excavations in 1880 under the direction of Ernst Curtius in Olympia found and is under the inventory number 6439 in the National Archaeological Museum Athens ( NAMA ).

The bronze head was found north of the Prytaneion between two stone blocks, the body of the statue has not been preserved. In contrast to most other finds of bronze heads, it was not knocked off from the statue, but neatly separated with several cuts. Due to the location and the type of separation, it is assumed that the head was deliberately hidden in order to prevent access to it either by art-collecting Romans or later recyclers of the material. Of the several hundred victorious statues that were still in Olympia in the 2nd century at the time of Pausanias , the bronze head is the only surviving original.

The head is 31 cm high and therefore life-size. It was cast in two parts that were later put together. The seam is clearly visible on the inside of the head, but almost invisible on the outside. Originally there was a victory wreath on the head, of which only two leaves have survived, but the brushwood sitting on the head has numerous pinholes, so that a leafy wreath can be inferred. Below the rim are dense, tangled curls appears that, contrary to the first impression one of Polyklet are ordered reminiscent scheme to represent hair. Overall, the hair including the whiskers are arranged like floral ornaments. The face, enclosed by hair, is strong and broad, except for details such as the slightly crooked nose, it is symmetrically designed and the shapes are precisely worked out. The eyes were inserted and are no longer preserved, as they are relatively small and deep, they will have made an intense impression on the viewer. The lower lip is outlined in a circle, the upper part of the mouth is largely covered by a mustache. The lips were cast separately and inserted into the figure, with a layer of copper they were reddish compared to the gold tone of the bronze and thus contrasted in color from the rest of the face. The indented nose and the swollen ears are typical features by which the head can be clearly identified as part of a victorious statue of a pugilist . The slight inclination of the head and the downward gaze suggest that it was not a standing image , but a sitting image .

To which athlete the statue was dedicated cannot be determined without the inscription typically attached to the base. However, Pausanias reports a statue of the pugilist Satyros , which was created by the Attic sculptor Silanion . The common dating of the head and the chronological classification of Pausanias match so much that it could be the winner's statue of this athlete. Nevertheless, it cannot be ruled out that the portrait is a former heavy athlete who was honored with a bronze statue for his services as an arbitrator or shrine official.

literature

  • Peter Cornelis Bol : Large bronze sculpture in Olympia (= Olympic research , volume 9). De Gruyter, Berlin 1978, ISBN 3-11-006701-3 , p. 40 ff.
  • Hans-Volkmar Herrmann : bronze head of a bearded pugilist . In: Alfred Mallwitz , Hans-Volkmar Herrmann (ed.): The finds from Olympia . German Archaeological Institute, Athens 1980, pp. 195–196.
  • Stefan Lehmann : On the bronze head of an Olympian in the National Museum of Athens. In: Stadium. Journal of the history of sport. Volume 22, 1996, pp. 1-18.
  • Dirk Piekarski: Anonymous Greek portraits of the 4th century v. Chr Chronology and Typology (= International Archeology , Volume 82). Marie Leidorf, Rahden / Westfalen 2004, ISBN 3-89-646354-3 , pp. 107-112.
  • Stefan Lehmann: Statues of Greek victors. In: Raimund Wünsche (Hrs.g): Alluring laurel. Sports and games in ancient times. Exhibition catalog of the Staatliche Antikensammlungen Munich. Staatliche Antikensammlungen, Munich 2004, pp. 320–335. 462-463.

Web links

Commons : Head of a Pugilist  - Collection of images

Remarks

  1. ↑ a b c Peter Cornelius Bol: Large bronze sculpture in Olympia , p. 40.
  2. ^ Peter Cornelius Bol: Large bronze sculpture in Olympia , pp. 40–41.
  3. ↑ Hans-Volkmar Herrmann: Bronze head of a bearded pugilist , p. 196.
  4. ^ Pausanias 6: 4, 5.
  5. ^ Stefan Lehmann : On the bronze head of an Olympian in the National Museum of Athens. In: Stadium. Journal of the history of sport. Volume 22, 1996, pp. 1-18; ders .: Statues of Greek victors. In: Raimund Wünsche (Hrs.g): Alluring laurel. Sports and games in ancient times. Exhibition catalog of the Staatliche Antikensammlungen Munich. Staatliche Antikensammlungen, Munich 2004, pp. 320–335. 462-463.